Fish 'acts like Lord Sugar when dealing with subordinates'

A species of fish exhibits traits similar to Lord Sugar when dealing with subordinates who fail in a task, new research has shown.

Published: 7:30AM GMT 08 Jan 2010

Cleaner wrasse, which live on reefs, provide a valuable service by feeding on the parasites of ''client'' fish.

Males are in charge in communities of cleaner wrasse and the new research shows they have much in common with their ''Lord Sugar'' style human counterparts.

Like the belligerent Amstrad founder and boss on the television show The Apprentice, male cleaner wrasse will not tolerate failure.

When the females fall down on the job by offending a client, they are chased aggressively by the angry males.

The behaviour is an unusual example of animals delivering a ''third-party punishment'' for misdeeds that do not directly affect them.

Although cleaner fish pick parasites off their larger reef-mates, they can get a bigger meal by taking a bite of the mucus on a client's skin. However this is seen as an offensive ''cheating'' act, and likely to drive the ''customer'' away.

Any female spotted committing such a flagrant breach of the rules provokes a sharp reaction from the boss.

The boss/employee relationship between male and female cleaner fish was investigated in the laboratory by scientists led by a team from the Zoological Society of London.

A plate full of ordinary food and more tempting prawns was offered to the fish, but removed whenever one of them ate a prawn.

Researchers quickly saw that males would chase females who could not resist the prawns, thereby causing the food plate to be lost. After being punished, the females were less likely to eat a prawn again.

The study, reported in the journal Science, shed light on what occurred between the fish and their ''clients'' in nature.

Dr Nichola Raihani, from the Zoological Society of London, said: ''Clients will leave if they are cheated at a cleaning station. That means the male's dinner leaves if the female cheats. By punishing cheating females, the males are not really sticking up for the clients but are making sure that they get a decent meal.''

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6947717/Fish-acts-like-Lord-Sugar-when-dealing-with-subordinates.html

Weymouth Sea Life 'dragons' fall for mistletoe

9:40am Tuesday 29th December 2009
By Martin Lea

MISTLETOE has tricked leafy seadragon creatures at the Sea Life Park in Weymouth into a mating frenzy after they confused the Christmas plant for a love-rival.

The odd-looking marine creatures bear a striking resemblance to the Christmas kissing plant.

So when the males were a little slow in getting to know the female seadragons at an aquarium, staff decided to decorate their tank with sprigs of mistletoe.

And it had the desired effect as it apparently sparked jealousy in the male seadragons who now see the plant as a love rival.

Fiona Smith, display supervisor at the Sea Life Park, said: “The males have suddenly started engaging in heated courtship with the females.

“It seems the males view the Christmas decorations as potential rivals and they are making sure they don’t lose out.

“We knew the seadragons looked like mistletoe and at first we decorated the tank as a bit of fun but it has had the desired effect.

“It looks like mistletoe can fire underwater passions so we may keep it in the tank year round.

”The Sea Life Park hopes to be the first place in Europe to breed the animals that are usually found around Australia.

The attraction has only recently taken delivery of the creatures, but were not encouraged with their initial lack of courtship.

Seadragons – phycodurus eques in Latin – are close relatives of seahorses and like them, it is the male that looks after the eggs by carrying them in a clump on his belly.

The Sea Life Park is one of the world’s most successful seahorse breeding facilities and its marine experts hope their expertise will guide them to similar success with the seadragons.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/4822560.Weymouth_Sea_Life__dragons__fall_for_mistletoe/
(Submitted by Mark North)